From My Collection #66: New England – New England

Welcome to another edition of From My Collection. Let’s go back in time to ’79, shall we? While the NWOBHM is kicking off across the Atlantic, pop metal’s first wave is enjoying its last hurrah before the onslaught of the 80s. Among these bands (mostly managed by Bill Aucoin) are KISS, Angel, Starz, The Babys, and the subject of this week’s essay, New England. Although New England never achieved the commercial heights expected, it wasn’t because they didn’t have the chops. Today, we revisit their debut album, the circumstances surrounding its unfortunate stagnation, and why YOU should pick it up the next time you see it in your local record store’s bargain bin.

True to their name, New England formed in, you guessed it, New England, in 1977. Specifically, the band hailed from Boston, Massachusetts. Between the multi-platinum success of Aerosmith and Boston, music industry movers and shakers were scouring the town for the next hard-rocking, hit-making sensation. For all intents and purposes, New England should’ve been next in line. They were discovered by KISS manager Bill Aucoin, and immediately signed to short-lived subsidiary of MCA, Infinity Records.

As if Aucoin’s cosign wasn’t enough, one Mr. Stanley Eisen AKA Paul Stanley decided to tag along as well, assuming co-producer duties for the band’s debut outing. Remember folks, this was 1979. The KISS solo albums experiment had come and gone, Peter Criss was technically out of the band, Gene Simmons had his sights set on Hollywood (and Cher), and Ace Frehley was, for a lack of better terminology, “Snowblind”. It’s no surprise that Paul Stanley was eager to spread his wings and branch out into other territory outside of the KISSteria that consumed his life for the better part of a decade.

Of the 3 albums New England managed to release during their brief initial existence, it’s their self titled debut that cemented the band’s cult icon status. While distinctly of the era, New England stood out from the hard rock pack for its unique approach. The band’s amalgamation of heavy riffage, power pop moves, and regal pomp made for an unusual, yet memorable and exciting listen. The opening “Hello, Hello, Hello” emphasizes this formula in all its unorthodox glory. It’s as ethereal as anything from Angel, catchy as a lost Rapsberries single, and yet totally air guitar friendly. All listeners can do is sit back and let those melodies sweep them away.

Following “Hello, Hello, Hello” is New England’s sole hit single, “Don’t Ever Wanna Lose Ya”. Just scratching the Top 40 at #40, it’s rather shocking this earworm didn’t chart higher. Yes, disco still reigned supreme, but “Don’t Ever Wanna Lose Ya” boasted all the markings of an AM rock classic. Dreamy strings, harmonious vocals, simplistic structure, riffs that were heavy, but not too heavy: The sound was familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. Listeners could mistake it for a new Styx single…or The Babys…or City Boy…or none of the above. No matter how you slice it, “Don’t Ever Wanna Lose Ya” is a heavenly slab of 70s pomp metal gold if there ever was one.

After 2 songs that established their knack for hook-centric ditties, New England turns up the intensity with the quirky “P.U.N.K. (Puny Undernourished Kid)”. Racing along with proto-thrash aggression and Sweet-esque cockiness, this full steam ahead barn burner is a guaranteed headbanger, even if the lyrics lie on the peculiar side. The lush ELO influenced balladry of “Shall I Run Away” further showcases the range of New England’s sonic palette, as does the bittersweet “Alone Tonight”. I’m not sure what it is about the latter, but the trifecta of those chords, melodies, and vocals tug at my heartstrings in a blaze of melancholic glory, evoking nostalgia of an era I wasn’t even alive for.

As we flip over to side B, we’re greeted by the hard rocking “Nothing to Fear”. Framed by a delicate acoustic/symphonic buildup, this high voltage number grabs the listener by the throat, yet without sacrificing the pop and pomp sensibilities that are so pivotal to this release. Again, do we headbang, sing along, immerse ourselves in the subtle nuances, or all of the above? I’m going with “D”! Following this is arguably the heaviest song on the album, “Shoot”. Even though they had now been defunct for 3 years, Deep Purple’s influence remained prevalent as ever on the metal scene. Consider “Shoot” to be “exhibit A”. The rollicking guitar work, grinding organs, and rigorous drumming are straight out of the Deep Purple in Rock playbook.

“Turn Out the Light” reverts back to the gentle balladry of “Shall I Run Away”, but sounds far from forced. Most hard rock and metal bands of the era were obligated to sandwich at least 1 ballad on an album of rockers, in hopes of radio airplay and the sacred utterance of your name by Casey Kasem. New England, on the other hand, could pen heartfelt ballads as effortlessly as they could stone cold rockers, and “Turn Out the Light” is an excellent example of such. Rounding it all out is the one-two punch of “The Last Show” and “Encore”. Together, this glorified suite sees New England double down on the pomp/prog side of things. Any bombastic tendencies hinted at throughout are now on full display, as if to encapsulate everything brilliant about the post-Beatles 70s revolution in one 8 minute epic.

While New England achieved modest success, a platinum-seller it was not. The dissolving of Infinity Productions did nothing to help matters. Come 1980, New England were rescued by Elektra for 2 more albums in Explorer Suite (1980) and the Todd Rundgren produced Walking Wild (1981), although both did little in the way of commercial success. By ’82, New England was history. Both guitarist/singer John Fannon and drummer/singer Hirsh Gardner pursued solo careers. Meanwhile, keyboardist Jimmy Waldo and bassist Gary Shea teamed up with former Rainbow/MSG singer Graham Bonnet to form a little traditional metal band you might’ve heard of named Alcatrazz. Come 2015, the band reunited for a series of reunion shows in their home region, and have played sporadically ever since.

Although New England never got their due in their heyday, I can’t help but retrospectively lament what could’ve been. There’s no reason this band shouldn’t have been headlining arenas into the early 80s alongside the likes of Styx, Journey, Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, and so forth. I could see how come the glam metal explosion of the mid 80s, New England would come off as dated, yet I could also see how they influenced more progressive acts of the crop like Lillian Axe and Winger. No matter how you slice it, New England, is a masterpiece that belongs in the collection of any old school headbanger with a love of the melodic side.